Oyasumi Nasai
by moonlit mage
Summary: Hitomi's staring at Earth again, missing home, and gets a little visit from a handsome devil. HitXDil. Rated for...teen stuff. Up next the confrontation. COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So…here I am, with the standard "I don't own Escaflowne or its characters" thing.

Well, there it is. Happy! You've crushed my little fantasy world, damn you! Now leave me to sniffle in sadness…and pray, that someday, when the person that created it is gone…they leave it to me, in their will. Now that is one hell of a dream, right?

This little thing, however, is a random one shot idea I got while standing outside at 3am, in the cold, staring at the stars and being surprised at my good fortune of stepping outside _just _as a shooting star flew by. Oh happiness. That hardly ever happens for me.

And, in case by some strange act of…whatever…you didn't realize; this is a Hitomi/Dilandau thing. Written from Hitomi's POV. This is a first for me…cuz Hitomi _really _annoys me with her "visions-o-death" every two seconds.

Love it, and leave happy reviews…please? Don't make me do the puppy-dog eyes…or the quivering lip…

* * *

Oyasumi Nasai

The sky's starting to cloud over as a cool wind brushed through the field. Tall grass sways in the breeze, the waves shining in the disappearing moonlight. My eyes take in the beauty of it all, and I shiver faintly when a familiar presence…that strange, terrifying power that comes with bloodshed, appears behind me.

I know who it is, before he even steps free of his guymelef. He was rather quiet and it's no surprise why; he doesn't want Van or Allen knowing he's here and I'm here. That would be bad. Very bad. He may have been surprisingly quiet, but I still felt him.

Leave it to this weird seeing stuff I go through, nearly constantly. It's such a pain, really, and it's never happened so much before being sucked up here. This planet is one big psychic's nightmare; the fear that grips my heart, the strange pang that goes through my mind like a knife, the shortness of breath and the strange sounds that fill my mind haunt me during the day, making it so that any distraction from them is quite welcome.

Even if it is _him. _Why he's here, I don't know. Maybe it's to kill me, for all the trouble I've inadvertently caused him. I heard through third and fourth party information that the soldier they had taken hostage had tried to escape…and died in the process.

I wince faintly; the burden of knowing it was my fault he was dead…and my fault Allen got hurt…it just comes crashing down on me sometimes. So much so that I've starting staring at sharp weapons, wondering just what it feels like…pondering if it really _does _provide a little bit of release. Does it really help let some of the frustration out? It's a bad habit, I know, believe me, but the nagging thought of whether it does or not leads me to want to find out for myself.

But now I have a distraction, a dangerous one, but at least it takes my mind away from all the trouble we've gone through and the fact that my home planet is still in the sky, staring down at me and practically begging me to come home. I still haven't gotten used to seeing Earth up there and me down here. If I ever did…I'd be terrified, I suppose, seeing as to get used to watching Earth would be to start making Gaea my home, in a sense at least.

It'd dull my want to go home, I know that much, and being around Van and Allen have already done that damage.

I don't bother moving; don't waste my time turning to look who it is because I know who it is already. That and I'm currently too lazy to get up. If he stabs me in the back, or I hear the unsheathing of his sword…I can get up and run for it.

His footsteps thunk against the ground as he makes his way towards me, and I know I'm starting to shake in fear; the guy really does freak me out. I mean, that look he first gave me when I met him at Allen's fort…

I shudder involuntarily and wince when I hear his snigger. Damn him and his keen eyesight. He watches his prey, just like any predator would, and knows every movement it makes.

"You shouldn't be sitting out here alone, little girl," he coos and I jump at how close he was. I didn't even realize that he had closed the gap and was standing right behind me. "Something wrong? Van and Allen too busy with each other to pay any attention to you? Or maybe that snotty little cat-girl has Van's attention…while the brave knight is sweeping the princess off her feet?" He laughs and I stand quickly, turning a pathetic attempt for a glare onto the devil before me.

And then I realize how beautiful he looks in the partially covered moonlight. His silver hair sparkles, his eyes are startling and his skin seems to glow…

Growling faintly at my stupidity I shake my head, reinforcing the "You-can't-think-that-about-your-enemy" factor, and then continue the glaring process. It's too late though; he saw _the _look.

"Ah-ha…so that's how it is…the little girl from the mystic moon prefers the dangerous enemy rather than the pretty boy knight and the fallen king."

"That's not how it is at all, you jerk," I spit back at him, trying to muster every ounce of courage I can to make it sound convincing. Pfft, yeah, right. Convincing.

Convincing is his sick laughter at my expense. Of all the words I had to use, I used "jerk"…one of the lamest insults in the book.

"Nice try," he chuckles, a sick grin coming to his marred face. I don't see why he's so upset about the cut…I mean; it gives him a _little _more character. But…what should I expect from someone who's nearly up there with Allen on pretty boy-ness. The mere fact that I'm the main reason he has that scar in the first place brings me to think of all the cruel things he could do to me right now for the pain his handsome face had to go through.

'Damn! I did it again! This psycho is NOT handsome!' I curse myself, suppressing the urge to stomp my foot on the ground like a child.

"It's not exactly the smartest thing in the world to day dream in front of your enemy," he says, raising an eyebrow faintly as if to ask "what the hell are you thinking! I could kill you right now and you're staring off into space! Am I not terrifying enough!"

"Not exactly the smartest thing to leave your floating rock of a home and come into enemy territory, now is it?" I hiss back at him, making him laugh again. "I could scream right now and everyone in the city would hear it," I continue stupidly.

"I haven't done anything yet, so why bother wasting your breath?"

"What do you mean by "yet"?" I ask, locking eyes with him and realizing he was three steps closer than he had been before. He was closing in on me. If I didn't run soon he'd be able to grab me before I even made the mad dash for safety.

"I'm pondering whether or not to kill you now…or take you away and kill you later."

"Right…" I mutter, wondering how the hell a teen like him could be so…so…eh?

I make to step back quickly, but not quick enough, and before I can utter a word hot lips are pressed against my own. My eyes widen in shock, staring at the red orbs locked on mine, and I try to make a sound in protest, only to fall for the typical trap. His tongue invades my mouth before I can snap my mouth shut again and he's got me trapped for good.

Needless to say, when he pulls back I'm out of breath and my face is burning up, even in the cold wind. My heart is beating rapidly and I can't ease the shock away.

'Why didn't Allen ever kiss me like that?'

I shake the thought from my mind as he lets me go, and chuckles faintly as he takes my chin in hand gently. I never figured he could do anything gently.

"I'd like to see him beat that, Hitomi," he purrs and my blush increases tenfold. No one, absolutely no one, ever said my name like _that._

"Why…you…but…" I stutter, completely unable to form proper sentences.

"I'll leave you alone for now…but next time...you won't be so lucky, little girl."

I frown at his nickname for me and cross my arms over my chest indignantly…and to try and warm myself up…and watch him meander away, moving gracefully through the grass and into the darkness of the forest. The moonlight has gone with him, leaving me shivering in the dark.

"Hitomi? Hitomi, where are you!"

I roll my eyes at Merle's annoying voice and turn around. I brush my lips faintly before licking over them and blushing yet again. I could still taste him…the strange sweetness of the wine that got me so easily intoxicated…maybe that's why I couldn't do anything.

"I'm over here, Merle!" I call back to her and she bounds over to me and snorts faintly.

"Staring at the Mystic Moon again, huh? When are you ever going to get over the fact that it's there?"

"When I'm back home," I hiss at her and follow the young feline back to our current residence. 'I'll never get a kiss like _that _again…I know that much…' I think and shudder again when I get the feeling of being watched. I know he watching me from the forest and I do my best to ignore it.

I shouldn't want to meet him again. I really shouldn't…but I do.

* * *

A/N- Wow...erm...frazzled thoughts, as it is 4:15 in the morning...if that even made sense. Leave love, or I'll make the Dragonslayers eat you!

Chesta: We don't eat people...-hides arm behind back and puts up the innocent act again.-

Moon: Chesta...you've got blood all over your face! What did i tell you about proper manners?

Migel: You just had to bring up me being dead, didn't you...-Starts strangling Moon.-

Moon: Help...me...


	2. What I want

A/N: Wow…so I thought that totally sucked, but so far so good, I think. Well, because a few people want to see a little more I have decided to do a Dilandau chapter. I was thinking of creating a slightly disjointed story line, in which there's no real…well…nothing like anything you've read. Hopefully. I want to try it out, and if you don't like it ok, but I hope it'll be interesting.

There's a possibility I'll go through each character, maybe give you a few other character's view of Dilandau and Hitomi and how their attitudes have changed. Stuff like that. Not everyone, that would just be WAY too much, just one or two other people; for Hitomi it'd be Van, Meryl and possibly Allen…who I'm not too fond of…eh. And for Dilandau it'd have to be Chesta, Dallet and Gatti. Chesta and Gatti get abused the most, I believe, and Dallet is just…Dallet. And we love him. But not as much as Miguel!

-Glances out of the corner of her eyes and winces, watching Miguel glare sadistically and fiddle with a knife.- He's not happy that he always dies first…me thinks…

Also…as I look through pictures and bios of the slayers, over and over, for I love them dearly, I've noticed in the 6 that we do see, they all have shades of blue for the color of their eyes. Selena has blue eyes, so I wonder about it…Hmmm…

Anyways, on with the fic. -Glances up and shakes head.- Wow, I sure babble on don't I?

Again…I don't own Escaflowne…-curls up into a ball and cries.-

* * *

Through His Eyes

There's nothing more annoying than incompetence amongst my 'Slayers. Gatti had the gall to ask me what was wrong as I dazed off into space while I drank my wine. I hate _that_.

What I hate even more…

I can't get her out of my mind. Since that day in Allen's fort she's been hiding in the back of my mind, seeing as Allen had "claimed" her. But now she's popping up into my mind nearly every waking hour of the day, and even in my sleep! Damnit!

She's so strange, but what do you expect from someone from the Mystic Moon? That place is said to be cursed, so the people there just _have _to be odd. I really do hate her at times, most of the time nowadays, though for completely different reasons.

Despite the reason Miguel is dead partially because of her, the other half being Zongi who made such a delicious dying scream and crushing sound, I find myself hating her because I can't stop thinking of her. She's invading everything and it's distracting me from my goal.

I should've killed her when I had the chance…but…

The way she stood there, obviously pondering running, and then attempting to stand her ground against me…it was really quite thrilling.

Between spending time cursing Van for marring my beautiful face, and wishing I could destroy her from my mind, I've really started to sink in on myself. I find myself thinking of whether to capture the girl, or kill her before Van. The one that would hurt him more would probably be catching her, right out from under his nose, and then torturing her. All the while he won't be able to do a thing to save her.

What a way to crush her hopes…her dearest Prince Charming being so inadequate…then maybe she'll truly decide that playing with fire can be _really _fun.

Stalking down the halls I glare at anyone who crosses my path. The clicking of my boots echo down the massive corridors and the blue flames flicker just faintly as I move by. This is the third time this week, since that night in the field that I've wandered around aimlessly, after dishing out some well deserved punishment.

Chesta has gotten into the habit of asking if something was wrong, in a more masculine way of course, even after all the times I've hit him for it. I won't tell them, as it's none of their business, and I don't know what to do, for once.

There are so many choices as what to do in this matter. It's clear I won't get any rest until I do that something, so I suppose I have to. One thing is for certain though…

I giggle faintly and slip into my room, chuckling now and steadily building up in a maniacal laughter that seems to startle the men. I wonder why…

There's a beautiful pathway open to me.

I want that girl for myself. Not just because she's Van's pet, but because she's a rarity. Actually trying to stand up to me…and her reaction to my kiss was just so amusing. Typical innocent little shocked look. Right, innocent.

I can see it in the back of her eyes. She may be a little naïve, and clearly not used to sword fighting, but she knows how a girl should react to certain things. Her inner conflict was nearly written on paper before me. She liked it, she'd never admit it aloud, but she did.

That makes me laugh some more. Needless to say she'll prove very amusing. I can do without 'love', seeing as that emotion is a little sickening…but possession and obsession are very different things. I must possess this girl. I need to have her wrapped around my pinky and bent to my will. I need to break whatever stubborn side she has, and I know she has one…she does.

She _will _be mine. She's distracting me horribly, and I would think she needs to learn her lesson. Just like my 'Slayers.

My thoughts are becoming jumbled again when she pervades my thoughts, yet again. I can never think straight when all I can see are shocked green eyes glistening like jewels in the moonlight. I hope she's having the same problem with me, because I'd be very disappointed and rather insulted if she wasn't.

Van and Allen would be so confused as to why their dear little Hitomi was ignoring them, staring off into space and acting every bit the flustered innocent. She'd better be clean…it would take away from some of the pain it would inflict upon Van.

And no, it's not just revenge against he and Allen…no…this is mostly about her. And then some revenge.

It'll be fun to see how much of a fight she puts up. I liked her little speech on how she could scream and everyone would come running to save her and I would die. Maybe not her exact words, but good enough. I was a little busy inspecting my prey to truly care about her empty threats. She wasn't going to scream; I know she wasn't.

Glancing out my window I catch sight of the Mystic Moon. I bet she's staring at it too, wishing to be home safe and sound. I won't let her go that easy, that's for sure. She'll be mine, whether she wishes to be or not. I will own her, possess her…

Pouring myself a generous amount of wine, I settle into a chair and prop my legs up on a small table. The alcohol puts me into a Hitomi-free sleep, which I need at the expense of headache the next morning. That's easily dealt with, and my frustrations are taken out on Gatti and Chesta.

I think I'll pay my dear little Hitomi a visit soon…

* * *

A/N: Well, I think I've kept Dilandau in character. Hopefully at least. I like to try and do that as best as possible, seeing as Dilandau getting all mushy Allen-like mushy makes me twitch. I like the possessiveness behind his thoughts. Hopefully you will too. This is probably much more confusing than Hitomi's, but think about it…I am writing this as their _thoughts_as well as actions. Thoughts are hardly ever in perfect order, right? And if they are, I highly doubt Dilandau will have perfect order in his head.

The only things that matter to him are fire and destruction…and revenge against Van. Therefore, his brain will stay a jumble.

For those who reviewed, thanks and I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully this chapter will live up to your expectations…if not, I'll rewrite it. Again, it's 3:19am, and Saturday was a very painful day for a dear friend of mine and myself.

Next up will probably be Van or Merle. Why Merle, you ask? Because she was the one that retrieved Hitomi. Simple as that. Merle really does annoy me…I think the only time I really liked her was when she screamed "LORD VAAAAAAAN!" After Fanelia was destroyed. That scream made me laugh. Hard. It hurt, I laughed so hard. Why? I'll never know.

Miguel: -Still unhappy.- Because you hate her and her agony made you happy.

Moon: Shush you. Adios all! Leave happiness!


	3. Stupid Hitomi

A/N: Well, here's a little work with Merle, seeing as I'm actually on a roll with this, amazingly. But hey, my muse is back for a while, most of my mind is centered on my friend and how he's doing, but I aim to please. People wanted me to continue this one, and unlike my Naruto fic, I can actually continue it.

This chapter will probably be a little quicker, tidier and filled with annoying-ness. Go through, view things like a 10 year old cat-girl would and hope I don't lose my temper.

You'll be hearing a lot of "Lord Van" this and "Lord Van" that, for that is what it's like in the series. Sadly…

Have fun and leave love!

* * *

-Catnip.-

That girl is so weird. I've never met anyone more awkward than that girl. I really don't know why Lord Van is so hung up over her. I mean, really, look at her! Her hair is so short and she wears such strange clothing and acts like a boy sometimes.

Lord Van asked me to go out and find Hitomi, seeing as she had gone out to stare stupidly at the sky, so I did and I find her standing there, looking every bit the idiot. I really wish Allen would sweep her off her feet so I could have Lord Van to myself, like it should be.

That girl just showed up out of _nowhere _and took him away from me! Talk about rude!

I scratch my ear faintly, glaring at her as she sits near Lord Van, staying silent and apparently thinking about something. There's something different about her tonight…I can't put a claw on it. All the other nights she came back from staring at the Mystic Moon, she just seemed so…so…blah. But for some reason…it just doesn't seem like her mind is centered on her home.

Maybe it was the news about that soldier being killed? Or maybe she was still worried about Allen, even though he was doing perfectly fine. Or maybe it's the fact that she nearly died during a false interrogation.

That would definitely put a strange look on my face. I must admit though, contrary to popular belief, I was really worried about her. My fur nearly fell out after all that.

But this is different, I think, because there's a little blush on her face as she stares at her food as if it's going to jump up and do a trick.

"Hitomi?"

I look up and raise an eyebrow as Hitomi nearly jumps out of her skin. I wish Lord Van wouldn't waste his time with her, seeing as she's head over heels for Allen.

"Yeah?" Hitomi answers and I glare at her some more, just because I can and want to.

"What's wrong? You seem a little more distracted than normal," Lord Van asks her and I can see his eyes are filled with genuine concern.

He used to look at me with those eyes whenever something was wrong…so why is it that_ she _gets that look now? It's not fair that some weird stranger just comes in and takes him away!

"Oh! Oh, I'm fine, I was just think things through…a lot has happened and it's just a little hectic," Hitomi replies quickly. A little too quickly, and the blush on her face is now worse.

She's lying through her teeth, she is.

"Why don't you tell Lord Van the truth? It's obvious you're lying about it! She probably had some kind of secret meeting with the enemy or something and is telling them all about us!" I scream, slamming a fist on the table and then wince and shake my hand.

God, that hurts! I never realized how much doing that wrong can hurt.

"Are you ok, Merle?" Lord Van asked, raising an eyebrow, while Hitomi stares at me disbelievingly.

"I'm fine, Lord Van," I reply quickly, instantly forgetting my throbbing hand and smiling at _MY _Lord Van.

"That's a ridiculous thought, Merle; Hitomi would never do something like _that. _Whatever she's thinking about is probably more personal than she wants to talk about, so give her a break," he says and stands up, stretching faintly. "I'll be outside, if you need anything," he offers us a small smile and Hitomi smiles back.

The minute Lord Van is gone I turn my glare back to Hitomi, who stares right back at me as if there was nothing wrong. I cross my arms over my chest and growl just faintly.

"Why don't you just go find Allen, or something, and leave Lord Van alone! You're such a hassle, always getting in his way, and causing trouble!" I yell and she rolls her eyes at me. "Don't roll your eyes at me!"

"Merle, why don't you go and stalk Van some more? I'm sure he'll be happy knowing how many times you've spied on him the last week. My thoughts are my own, Merle, so whatever I think about is none of your business."

I stare, open mouthed, as she leaves me alone. She never snapped at me like _that _before! What happened to give her such an inflated ego?

Recovering from shock I stand quickly, stomping my way outside and muttering mean words about her. I quickly make my way up to the roof and sigh. I hate it that she's getting so much attention from Lord Van. I remember all the times when he would come to me for something, or he would ask me what was wrong. But now it feels like I've been _replaced _somehow! Hitomi's got Lord Van wrapped around her finger, and even worse; he needs _her _help more than _mine._

So what if she can "see" things and she helps us escape serious injury! I could do that if I tried! I am part cat, you know!

I can't stalk her from this point, and there's really nothing I want to hear from her now. It's her fault that Allen is injured, but everyone thinks she's something special. I think the only person who agrees with me on the fact that if she hadn't been standing there, stupidly, in the middle of a battle, would be Millerna!

Little surprise, seeing as the blond wants Allen so bad, even though he's clearly not interested. She's a little wonton, just throwing herself into his arms as if nothing mattered. Not exactly a thing a princess should do, at least in my opinion.

I hear the distinct sound of metal and I know that Van has started working with his sword again. He always looks so amazing when he practices like that. He looks wonderful either way…

My ear twitches and I yelp when a sudden bolt of lightning strikes above us. Soon rain starts hitting the ground and I run for dryness. This is not fair! I only got to watch him for a few minutes!

Lord Van doesn't come back inside though, and I scowl as I wait for him. He's going to get sick if he doesn't come back in soon! Then I would be the one to take care of him, _not _Hitomi.

Moments later Lord Van walks in, nearly soaked and not in any form of rush to get out of the rain. He's thinking about _her _again! Why does he constantly think of her! It's just not right.

"Lord Van? What's wrong, Lord Van?" I ask, hoping that he would stay and talk with me.

"Nothing's wrong Merle, I'm just thinking about all the trouble Escaflowne is bringing," he answers and I sigh faintly. "Wherever we go someone or something gets destroyed…I wonder how Hitomi is doing…" he says and goes to check on her.

I really wish he would pay some attention to me…but with the way Hitomi's going, it won't be happening any time soon.

* * *

A/N: Well, there we go. Merle's chapter. At little longer than the other's and set right after Hitomi's chapter timeline wise. This is going by nice a quick, so it may only take a week to finish! Assuming I keep my ass in gear, that is…but even if only 3 people want me to finish, I will finish for you.

Dilandau's chapter was set a mere day after their confrontation in the field. Merle's is right after she goes out to grab Hitomi. That's how I'll be working it, I believe, going between people in a good/bad way. Hitomi, Dilandau, Merle, Chesta, Van, Gatti, Allen, and finally Dallet. Although I really don't know how I'll end it…

Oi…that's going to take some serious, serious, serious pondering. So 5 more POVs to go, and it may amaze you, but everything is taking place within the space of a few days. I can't wait to write from Chesta-kin's POV! He's so adorable.

You'll probably hear more about Dilandau's next visit from him…

Chesta: -Is like an excited little puppy dog.- I'm next?

Moon: -Pattapat.- Yes, you are. Poor Miguel though, he's always being so grumpy nowadays. What a shame.

Leave me love! Lots and lots of love! Please?


	4. Headache

A/N: Well, time for Chesta's chapter. I should probably put this one in bold, seeing as this is **set during Dilandau's and Hitomi's meeting**. You'll be seeing things through the eyes of a very concerned Chesta-kins! So I am currently writing as much as possible, and hopefully I will be able to update at regular intervals...so no need to gag me with a stick. Having sticks and knitting needles shoved down one's throat is **not **wonderful.

-Shudder.- I'm glad people like it. Sometimes I wish the other people that have read this story would leave happy reviews...but such is life. My reviewers are wonderful -smiles.-

So, like I said before, and I shall be all **bold **with it: **This follows no set timeline, though it's taking place after Miguel's death. **

Miguel: -Growls.- Clearly.

Moon: I'm sorry.

Miguel: I'll believe _that _when you go out and buy more taquitos! Now, go! -Shoves her towards the door.-

Moon: But I need to write Chesta-kin's chapter first…

Miguel: -Sigh.-

* * *

Panic Attack

I really wish Dilandau-sama would stop disappearing like this, especially when he doesn't say where he's going and when he'll be back. Folken-sama wants to see him, and I can't find him anywhere. We've been searching for at least 10 miets, with no success, and Folken-sama's cheek is starting to twitch again.

Running down the hall I sigh in worry. I know it's really none of my business what he does, but lately he's been acting stranger than normal. It started right after our trip to Allen's fort, after he met that strange girl. I remember catching a glimpse of her that first night, but it was just a fleeting moment.

Dilandau-sama couldn't be pondering about her, could he? Maybe he's planning on using her to trap Van? After the incident with Dilandau-sama's cheek he's been muttering incoherent things and getting this dark glint to his eyes.

This is the first time he's disappeared, just like that, though. Any time he's left the Vione he's always informed Folken-sama somehow, whether it be face to face or via voice link in our Alseides units.

"Have you found him, Chesta?"

"Nothing," I reply, shaking my head to Gatti who sighs and holds his head.

I share in his frustration. Outside there's a storm rolling in and, combined with the darkness of night, our guymelefs aren't that great in the rain. They get hard to pilot, especially when there's a lot of wind. As great a pilot as Dilandau-sama is, I'm not sure he could make a longer distance in his melef.

What am I thinking? Of course he can make it; he's Dilandau-sama. He wasn't made our commander just because he's got silver hair and red eyes.

I look down the hall as Dallet comes running up and watch as he shakes his head frantically and tries to catch his breath. We've been running all over the place for a while, non-stop.

Folken-sama is _not _going to be happy when we tell him Dilandau-sama's missing. He may have a calm and collected personality but Dilandau-sama seems to find a way to displease him.

Resigning ourselves to our fate we return to the bridge, swallowing faintly when we see Folken-sama standing calmly and looking out into the night. He doesn't even bother to look back at us, and sighs faintly, holding his head in annoyance. He knew it was a lost venture, but still he hoped, somewhere, that the red Alseides unit had just disappeared on its own.

"We've tried to bring up on voice link, but there's nothing. Whatever he's doing, he doesn't want to be bothered. He better not be burning down another town; we can't afford more smooth talking cover ups with our newest allies."

I swallow faintly and thank the gods that Dilandau-sama isn't here to hear this. He's probably go and do just that, if he wasn't in the process of it already, and all hell would break loose. Again.

"There's still no response, Folken-sama, should we try again or wait for him to return to the Vione?" A plain soldier asks and I glance over to him and then back to Folken-sama.

"He'll return before the rain…you know how much he hates the rain," Folken-sama mutters and I look to my comrades and then look down.

Dilandau-sama may be demanding, but it's for our own good. We _are _the elite soldiers, the Dragonslayers, and we need to keep up to his standards. He's given us much more than we could've had before, and it wasn't easy…

I sometimes worry too much about our great commander. Sometimes he just pushes things a little too far, or loses control over himself, especially when it comes down to Van. Van and that girl, are the reasons why Dilandau-sama really let the hits fly. He was so aggravated that he hit a few of us for no reason whatsoever.

We tried to warn him that to constantly reopen the wound would make it scar, seeing as it would be a horrible thing to see our commander's face scarred, but he wouldn't listen. Now that scar is fuel for a serious fire, and I have a bad feeling about what lays ahead for our future.

Blindly throwing oneself into battle, regardless of skill, leads to the eventual downfall of the soldier.

I make my way down to the hanger, shaking my head faintly and hoping that Dilandau-sama will have returned by the time I get there. I'm in no rush, not yet, because I find it doubtful he'll have returned. Eight miets later and I'm standing on the metal catwalk, watching the world below. The leaves on the trees are flipping wildly, a sure sign of heavy rains, and the winds are starting to pick up a little. The light from the silver moon accompanying the Mystic Moon is starting to disappear behind dark storm clouds and I sigh faintly.

Finally, after waiting a little while longer, a red Alseides unit pulls into the hanger, settles, and then opens, revealing a grinning Dilandau-sama. I rush up to him, amazed he had returned.

"Dilandau-sama! Folken-sama has been…"

**SMACK! **

I fall to the side, holding my cheek and I know I shouldn't have even started with Folken-sama.

"I know he's been calling for me, and it's been quite annoying," he snaps and I bow low to the ground.

"Forgive me, Dilandau-sama," I say and I hear him mutter a 'get up'. He walks by and I follow 4 steps behind, making our way to the bridge again.

"Folken had you searching for me, even though he knew I was gone, did he?" He says and I swallow faintly.

"Yes sir," I replied and he snorts faintly.

"Foolish, really; what did he think? That my unit had just flown away, all on its own?" He chuckles faintly and I find it rather uncharacteristic of him to do so. And keep my mouth shut about it.

I don't want to be smacked again.

"Alright, Folken, what did you want to see me about?" Dilandau-sama asks and I salute them and disappear again. It's none of my business about what they have to discuss until Dilandau-sama informs us of whatever we need to do.

So, feeling rather relieved, I return to the bunks and inform the other slayers of Dilandau-sama's return.

Dallet starts up some talk of women, Gatti mocks him and I sit back and glance over to Miguel's empty bunk. It's odd that he's dead, seeing as he was one of our stronger soldiers…but Zongi did play it cheap. And he paid for it too.

* * *

A/N: I should've posted this before Dilandau's chapter, but I guess I forgot. Oops. I'll just rearrange the chapters, and all will be happy. Or, considering I've slapped up those bold warnings, I'll just leave it where it is. Why, you ask? In the great words of Taikoubou: 

"Because I'm lazy."

So here's our dear Chesta, hunting for our Dilandau-sama while he's busy startling Hitomi. Chesta also seems to be picking up on something, no doesn't he? Yep. And sadly, our dear Chesta-kins had to get smacked…just once…-sigh.-

Up next: Van's utter confusion! Wheee!

And Moon realizing this story really has nowhere to go…it's a bunch of confusing thoughts and pretty much one shots tied together. So not a real story, now is it? Therefore there's really no ending…which kinda sucks, but hey, I can work around it. It'll end with whoever is at the end of the list of people. I believe that's Dallet, or Gatti…not sure. But somehow, it will end there. Because there's no way I could write from Millerna's POV, as the dumb pansy is impossible to mimic. At least for me.

I will **not **stoop to her level of airheadedness. Which isn't even a real word, but who cares!

Of course, I suppose I could do a last chapter involving Dilandau-sama and Hitomi, having one last little confrontation?

I would put up a few other choices and say "Cast your votes!" But seeing as I have no true idea how to end this, I can't do that, so drop your opinions or ideas and I'll give all credit to everyone who helped.

Also, a miet is a Gaean time measurement, officially, and 1 miet is the equivalent of 30 Earth seconds, so when he says 10 miets, he means 5 minutes. If you've never heard of the Escaflowne Compendium, who I learned this from, either do a search or ask me for the link. It's a really cool site, tons of information.

For all Millerna fans out there...god forbid there are any...oh well. I can't stand her and wish Dilandau-sama had burned her alive when he was attacking. Or maybe one of Hitomi's Tarot cards had whipped out and knocked her dead. Spontaneously. Because we all know how tarot cards can attack without warning or provocation.

Miguel: -Stunned silence.- That...had to be _the _dumbest statement ever.

Moon: Shove it, Mr. "I-always-die-first-because-everyone-that-made-the-series-and-the-movie-hates-me!"

Miguel: -Busts out the duct tape and rope.- That's it.

Moon: Leave love, please! -Runs away, narrowly avoiding an onslaught of ducttape and one very peeved Miguel.-


	5. Wrong ideas

A/N: Now…for Van's chapter. For all you Van-lovers out there, be glad to know there's not a lot of Van bashing in this chapter. Seeing as Van bashing himself completely wouldn't be very healthy…now would it?

Seeing as it's called Van's Confusion, Van will be very confused. I like confused; it means I don't need to worry about thought consistency. Because…I'm lazy!

Also, to appease whoever in whatever doing something or other: I _still _don't own Escaflowne. I hate having to write that…it's so painful…-sigh.-

I've been asked to do longer chapters, so I'll try to do 6 pages of plain writing from now on. I admit the chapters where short, but it seemed like enough to me, and trying to draw out thought processes isn't so easy. But I will do my best to do at least 6 pages.

Also, I fear Chesta's chapter has not lived up to you expectations, so I'll most likely rewrite it…but as a Dragonslayer there's not much for them to do but panic over Dilandau-sama's disappearance, as they tend to do…-sigh.-

* * *

Why..?

I've been trying to talk to Hitomi all day, but she hardly answers me for some reason. She's been wandering about, rarely talking and when she did she kept quiet. Not like Hitomi at all. She's even been ignoring Merle's constant nagging, just throwing our young feline companion a small glance that said; "Please, be quiet."

Just not as polite. There's something so off about her and I'm getting so worried, it's hard to concentrate on my swordsmanship and even Allen is having trouble concentrating. Allen may be injured, but he still thinks I need more instruction from him, so he watches me from the sideline, yelling out when I make a mistake.

But not anymore. Sometimes I'll purposefully make a big mistake, just to see if he's paying attention.

But he's not.

So here I stand, watching Hitomi from behind as she sits calmly and staring up at the sky. She's watching her home again; so that _has _to be the reason for her sudden distance, right? I mean, there's nothing else that could've happened that would cause such a strange thing, so maybe she got another 'call' from this Amano person.

I still don't really understand the complicated workings behind the whole system, but I understand that they use 'phones' to call a series of numbers, different for each person and area, and either they went to another 'phone' or to a 'pager'. The 'pager' is the strange thing that made that beeping sound when we were trapped in the Zaibach dragon graveyard.

So maybe she got another call from him and feels bad for not being able to contact him and let him know she was ok?

'That has got to be it,' I tell myself mentally, slowly stepping up next to her until I'm to her right. I sit down without asking, she doesn't protest, but I stay quiet for a while.

What am I supposed to say? I'm not exactly great with talking like this, and from what I remember I can't really talk to her without having some form of pessimistic comment or sideways insult. She probably thinks that I only need her to tell me where those Zaibach soldiers are…but she's been trying to teach me how to sense these things for my own.

Lessons like these are invaluable to a king. A king must be self reliant in battle; knowing where you enemy is at all times and perceiving their attack. I remember Balgus teaching me this when I was younger. He also had the habit of telling me I don't charge aggressively enough…

Allen had to rub in that very same fact not too long ago, and it's rather insulting. More than insulting really. It's a plain smack in the face and public humiliation piled on top.

When I sit with her Hitomi stays quiet, looking up at the Mystic Moon, although during the day it's barely visible, but she still does it. I can see a strong sense of longing in her beautiful green eyes; she wants to go back to her family.

I wince at the thought of family…seeing as mine is nearly all gone. I have Merle, and that's about it. She's the closest thing to family I've had for a while, besides Balgus…and he's gone. One of the three greatest swordsmen on Gaia, taken down by cowards who hide in battle, instead of facing a great man like Balgus face to face.

Hitomi, though, has family and friends back on the Mystic Moon, and she longs to be with them, more than she wishes to be with me.

Us…I mean us…

I remember her muttering something about this Amano person looking just like Allen. That's a slightly frightening prospect, seeing as there should be only one Allen allowed on either planet.

Allen isn't a bad guy, don't get me wrong, but he can be a real thorn in my side. Whether it's being better in battle than I am, or trapping Hitomi in his web when he's got that princess.

I close my eyes, sighing just faintly when I remember how that woman insulted Hitomi so blatantly, making the assumption that she was just a handmaiden. I was glad to stick up for her, and I remember her flashing me a smile of gratitude.

I wish she would say something, seeing as I don't know how to start a proper conversation in times like this.

Ten miets later we're still sitting in silence and it's truly getting unnerving. She's usually said something by now; whether it be about where we're going next or how're things going. I can't stand this silence anymore, and I'm about ready to explode when finally I hear her sigh faintly and run a hand through her short hair before turning to look at me with a smile.

"I guess I should apologize for worrying you so much…I've just had so many things on my mind it gets confusing to continue ignoring them. I just needed to sort everything back into place, ya know?" She says and I silently thank the gods that she said something.

"There's no need to apologize, Hitomi. You've had a lot of things on your mind and everyone needs to take some time to figure things out," I reply and she smiles and nods faintly. "You've been watching the Mystic moon more often, I've noticed. Have you gotten another message from your friends?"

"No," she replies quietly and pulls out the strange device. "I've noticed that watching Earth and the moon help me to focus my energy on putting things back together. I miss home a lot though…"

And she trails off here, leaving me to feel a little awkward. I don't know what to say to that, seeing as saying "You'll find your way home soon" could turn into a very ugly lie. Saying "everything will be ok" would be just as bad, if not worse.

I turn my eyes back out onto the field, admiring the view and missing home. There's something behind Hitomi's answer, though, that leads me to thinking she hasn't told me everything. Something tells me she's hiding something very important from me, not so much important that involves me, but I want to be able to help her. If there's something truly eating away at her and she won't tell me, then how am I supposed to help her? I'd like to think that we could develop a very trusting relationship, regardless of whether or not we trust each other now. I would constitute throwing your lives in the palms of someone's hands during a life or death situation 'trusting'.

We keep each other safe, I've noticed, and I wish I could keep her safe other than on the battlefield. Saving her from the enemy is one thing; saving her from herself is something entirely different. I'm going to end up ripping my hair out if she doesn't tell me what's wrong. I can't even concentrate on practice right now, she's worrying me so much.

"Hitomi…" I start quietly, not taking my eyes off the landscape. "Hitomi, you know you can trust me, so why don't you tell me what else is on your mind?"

There, I said it. She doesn't answer at first, and I feel like I may have overstepped the boundaries until she sighs heavily. It's the first time I've heard the heavy sigh that seems to say "I have the weight of the world on my shoulders and there's nothing I can do about it".

"It's something so confusing, Van, that I don't know what to make of it anymore," she replies quietly, lying down in the grass. "There's just something behind it that scares me, because I can't figure out what I want. I've tried using the tarot cards, just to help me out a little, but because I'm so frazzled it does nothing; the readings just come out a mix of random things, matching my mind."

Ah-ha…so that's what it is…

She's worried about Allen and I. Could it be she feels something for me? The mere thought of that makes me feel a little strange, not a bad strange but a good strange. But the thought that she may be comparing the two of us leaves me with a sense of dread. Allen excels where I fail. Which is pretty much in everything. It seems to be a little more one-sided than she my think it is. She's probably thinking more and more about Allen, but clearly if she's so confused there's definitely something there for me, right? And she's been acting so strange for a while now, so that thing's got to be pretty strong, right?

I look at her again and there's something else she's not saying. She seems to want to say it, but is unsure of something…maybe my reaction. Her teaching me how to sense things better is actually working for a good purpose; I can sense that she's still hiding something from me.

"Hitomi? Is that all that's troubling you? There's got to be more to it than that…you're still hiding something…it's ok to tell me, I'll understand if you don't want to," I say quickly, as I can see a slight look of displeasure flash across her face.

"Van, there's really nothing more to say," she says and stands up. I hurry to o the same and put a hand on her shoulder quickly.

"Hitomi, I understand if you won't tell me. I just want to help you," I rephrase my last statement, hurriedly, so she doesn't get annoyed with me. I'm so not good with talks like these…so not good at all.

"Van…"

I hear her whisper my name quietly and then she turns to me with a small smile. This time I can see the smile in her eyes, covering whatever the signs that she was still hiding something. I release her shoulder, she stands there and smiles just faintly before walking away.

I was hoping for a little more insight. She's confusing me so much with all these strange moments and I don't know what to do anymore. The more I press it the more she won't tell me and she'll get very annoyed with me, that much is certain, but if I do nothing then she'll continue to dwell on something that could possibly be dangerous to her health.

I think back to when she started acting weirder than normal. After Allen was hurt she was a little out of it, but that's to be expected…

It wasn't until after Merle went and got her the other night before the storm. That was when she got really quiet and brooding. Even Merle didn't understand what was wrong with her, although she covered her confusion by insulting Hitomi some more. It was after that that she started acting really weird, so maybe something happened to her?

The thought of someone attacking her sends a wave of anger through my system, but if she had been attacked she would've told me, or someone, and would probably be acting much differently. So maybe she wasn't attack per se, but had some form of confrontation with someone? Maybe Millerna…

That had to be it. Millerna confronted her about Allen, and now she's thinking about whatever the princess said to her!

I shake my head, a small smile forming and sigh faintly. That had to be it, and the thought of the princess standing outside before a storm, telling Hitomi to back off of Allen, makes me chuckle faintly. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I originally thought.

Hitomi never lets whatever that princess says get to her for long. She may be overly insulted, but she gets over it quickly, and it's only been about 2 days so whatever Millerna said had to be a little rougher than normal. Maybe she told her off for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that it was her fault that Allen was injured and she should stop interfering with their love.

That just makes me laugh even more. That princess doesn't get the fact that Allen has no interest in her whatsoever. It's quite a shame really, but she really should just quit it. Allen has some serious patience, that's for certain, as I would've gone inane by now.

I follow Hitomi's lead into the barn where Escaflowne is and watch as she stares at it for a moment before sitting on its leg. I rest my sword by the door and fetch her a flask of water, hoping she'll soon break out of whatever Millerna said.

"Hitomi, whatever Millerna said to you, don't take it seriously. Millerna's just jealous of you, that's all, so don't worry so much about it," I tell her as she drinks her water.

I raise an eyebrow when she nearly chokes on her water and her eyes widen. She stares at me confused for a moment, face turning slightly red from coughing.

"What are you talking about, Van?" She asks once she's cleared her airways of water. "Millerna and I haven't talked for a while."

"You haven't?" Now I'm really confused. I was certain that was it…

"No, I haven't. What made you think that she and I have talked recently?"

"Well, I thought maybe the other night she talked to you and may have said something about Allen…I thought that maybe that was the reason why you've been so quiet…"

Hitomi shakes her head faintly, smiling just a little, but there's something in her eyes that worries me even more. Now that the idea that it was Millerna is out of the way, there're even worse possibilities in front of me.

"You weren't attacked, were you?"

She coughs again, and I realize I really must stop asking questions when she's drinking; it's turning out to be bad for her health.

"No, I wasn't attacked, really," she says and I can see she's not telling the whole truth.

"Hitomi…"

"Really, Van, I wasn't attacked!" She reinforces her statement a little more harshly than I would've wanted to hear, and then blushes faintly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you. No one has attacked me Van, really, everything's ok."

"Are you sure everything will be ok? I don't want to find out something went wrong and you're in danger again," I say and she scowls at me faintly.

"It's not my fault that they attacked me!" She protests and I can see a glimmer of her old self again. Her protesting me like this is just proof that everything is starting to be ok. "I just happen to have a magnetism that seems to attract a little bad attention."

"A little bad attention? More like a lot of bad attention," I reply with a grin and she puts on a fake pout face and crosses her arms over her chest. "Don't worry, Hitomi, we'll work through this together."

She nods faintly, and a look of reassurance passes over her face finally and sinks into her eyes. I feel a slight sense of accomplishment, seeing as I actually helped her out for once, and Allen hadn't interfered. Merle didn't interfere either.

"Lord Van!"

Speak of the Devil…

"Lord Van, there you are! I was so worried when I couldn't find you! And you! What do you think you're doing running off like this all the time and worrying Lord Van so much!" She shouts at Hitomi and Hitomi scowls at the girl.

"I need some privacy every once in a while, ya know!" She shouts back to Merle and the two of them start up another verbal fight. I'm left leaning against Escaflowne and chuckling faintly.

Everything was finally ok.

Leaving the two arguing girls I step outside again, smiling at my accomplishment, and strap my sword to my side again. It's always better to leave them to their arguments, for getting in the middle of them had slightly painful repercussions on occasion.

Even though I feel like everything is better now, there's still this small shadow of doubt that she's still hiding something. I suppose it'll always be there, now that I think of it, seeing as she has a great many secrets. She comes from a strange planet after all, so she's got a lot of strange secrets and ideas.

Hitomi is strange, in a good way. Her secrets and oddities make her mysterious, and although she has moments where I really wish she'd be quiet, I owe her a lot. She's saved me quite a few times, and she's helped me learn as well.

I've met a lot of seemingly odd people in life, well…odd to her, at least, but she's got this strange air around her, and it's not just her ability to see things no one else can.

I've got a lot of maybes flowing around in my head now, seeing as trying to figure out Hitomi is nearly impossible sometimes, so maybes appear quite often in my thoughts of her. Thinking of her also brings around the word "strange" as well, although all the time it's meant in a good way.

But, hey; we're strange to her. So it's all ok, and everything's getting better.

* * *

A/N: Crappy way to end the chapter, but I feel like I've stretched it out enough. I hope you like this chapter, and I did my best to make it good and longer.

I realized just how short the chapters were, but for some people you can only stretch a thought process out so long. I would've done it for Chesta's chapter, but I had that one uploaded a while ago; I just forgot to post it sooner. I hope this appeases a few people, and although it may not be as long as you would've liked it's ok, right?

For my loyal reviewers, I thank you now, as I should've been doing this in the previous chapters as well.

I think adding Van's ideas about Allen and Millerna are what allowed me to stretch this out and still be ok. Viewing things from his stand point seem to be easier, as his character has much more depth compared to the others. At least, in my opinion he does. I'm not a big Van fan, but I tried to deal with his brain and found that using his growing jealousy of Allen helped out a deal.

Hope you liked it and leave love.

Also, refrain from gagging me with a stick.


	6. Give me some aspirin!

A/N: Well, time for Folken's chapter. Yes, Folken. I changed my mind about some of the people and decided that I should do Folken because I included him in Chesta's chapter anyways.

So, this little piece of work may take longer than I anticipated, as a few things have come up in my life outside of the computer and they need to be dealt with. I will finish, don't worry; it may just take some extra time to get it done but I will.

**Also, I still haven't exactly decided how to end this, so ideas will be very much appreciated. **

I put that in bold seeing as no one reads A/Ns anymore…-sigh.-

-

I have a headache…

This throbbing in my temples is steadily getting worse. That boy…I'll never be able to get him to act properly. Between burning down every town we pass or forgetting our treaties and going after Escaflowne without permit…

Lord, my headache is beginning to get worse.

Today was supposed to be a nice and simple day; wake up, investigate my arm and make sure all is well, come to the bridge and wait for Dilandau to wake up from his hangover induced sleep. He drinks far too much for a 15 year old.

Everything got worse when I sent someone to wake the brat up and lo and behold…he's gone. I was hoping that Chesta and the others would be able to find him somewhere on the Vione, even though I knew it was a lost cause. His Alseides was gone from the hanger by twilight. I never had a chance to catch him.

I hate how he just disappears like this. Especially when he's needed here. He seems to forget that he has other duties to attend to, other than just catching Van. He may have been trained to deal with this; however he still has things he needs to deal with here.

I close my eyes tightly, groaning silently while holding my head. This is just not good. I can think of so many possibilities and horrendous outcomes that make me want to duck my head underwater and allow myself to drown.

I have been attempting to teach the young general some patience; however it seems to be failing miserably.

Looking out onto the darkening horizon I can make out the faint wisps of impending storm clouds. This does not bode well for Dilandau, should he get caught in the rain that is. These melefs may be advanced, but even the most advanced technology can't stand up against the elements for long.

"Try communicating with him again," I order and wait for the inevitable outcome.

"Sir, there's still no response," the man replies and I can feel a spike in my already throbbing head.

'Relax; he'll turn up soon enough,' I tell myself mentally and close my eyes for a moment. A nice deep inhale, slow exhale through the nose, and I'm ready to sort out my thoughts on this little escapade of his.

_First thing he could be doing is spying._

'But if he were merely spying, he could've sent Chesta like he did last time, or any other of the Dragonslayers,' the other half of my mind replies.

_Alright, then…he could be attacking some poor defenseless village to vent some anger._

'If he had been venting anger he would be throwing a tantrum in his room or beating on the Dragonslayers.'

_He could be hunting down Escaflowne on foot._

'Possibly, but knowing how Dilandau can't go without his flamethrower in battle he wouldn't have been gone so long.'

_Why did we give him that flame thrower, anyways?_

'It seemed like a good idea at the time; no one else had a weapon such as that and it's always good to have the advantage in battle.'

_Hmph…he could be at the local brothel, like last time._

'Don't remind me of that incident.'

_It's still a possibility. Maybe he's just enjoying the scenery?_

I can't stop myself before I let out a faint laugh. Dilandau? Enjoying the scenery? Now that's hilarious. The only thing he enjoys about scenery is destroying it. Completely. Down to smoldering orange embers and grey ashes.

"Folken-sama?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"We still have no reply, sir."

I nod faintly, rubbing my temple slowly and willing this headache to go away. I really wish that Dilandau would just show up already. Reprimanding him would do no good, and would be a complete waste of time; however I'll end up doing it anyways.

I wonder about his mind sometimes. Well, all the time. His seemingly unnatural fixation on capturing my brother is rather…odd. Of course, it's his duty, and he is a very loyal general to Emperor Dornkirk. Not to mention, capturing the Escaflowne and bringing it to our esteemed emperor would secure his name in the books for the rest of time. He's well known now, but should he catch the Escaflowne he would be everywhere and he would have more power than he does now.

My mind trails over to my brother and the unavoidable thoughts on my destroyed county. Or my former country…at least…

I know my brother had past the rite to ascend to the throne; the slaying of the dragon, else none of us would be where we are now. Even so, the most important part of this is the girl. The one Van had been holding, according to the Dragonslayers, and the one who made that strange column of bright light.

I have no way to explain that light as it was never mentioned in the scrolls or by my father. Maybe it was something to do with the Escaflowne, more so than the girl?

I falter in my thoughts and I know a look of shock just passed over my face.

_Absolutely not. That is not the reason…**she **is not the reason for his disappearance. He wouldn't try and murder a young woman in cold blood…would he?_

I can't even begin to describe the dread that has just filled me. Dilandau has a horrendous temper and after the incident with his face, Van, a sword, and that girl he was hell bent on revenge. But even he has some codes to abide by; as do we all.

I hear the doors slide open and the familiar sound of clicking boots and know that it's one of the 'Slayers, returning from the futile hunt for Dilandau.

"We've tried to bring up the voice link, but there's nothing. Whatever he's doing, he doesn't want to be bothered. He better not be burning down another town; we can't afford more smooth talking cover ups with our newest allies," I tell the Slayer, who turned out to be Chesta. The young soldier didn't need to say anything; I already knew.

"He'll return before the rain…you know how much he hates the rain," I finish and Chesta nods, bows and disappears again.

Turning back to the view I let out a small, nearly inaudible, sigh and hold my throbbing head. The rain is here, or about to be at least. The mystic moon is covered by the thick storm clouds and the world is shrouded in darkness.

Yes, Dilandau will return soon; he hates the rain. Almost with a passion.

I wait a little while longer, maybe 20 miets, and I smirk when the door slides open again and the cocky saunter belonging to Dilandau reaches my ears. I truly wish I could lock him up in a dungeon or something, just to keep him out of trouble so I can have a moment's peace. I feel like I'm forty and raising a 3 year old.

"Alright, Folken, what did you want to see me about?" Dilandau asks and I turn to him, scanning his face for any stray signs that he was up to no good.

"Follow me, Dilandau, I have some questions to ask you and then I'll tell you of our treaty, again. You seemed far too drunk last night to actually remember anything I said."

Dilandau smirks in that annoying way, but follows me nonetheless towards my study. I wish that he had grown up with political discipline, however he was merely taught the art of war; not the art of political tactics. I suppose that would be why I was sent here; to cover up for Dilandau's foolish mistakes with my superior smooth-talking skills.

It doesn't take long to reach my study, nor for us to settle with a glass of wine. I keep the wine bottle close to me, behind my desk, as I do not want a repeat of last night.

"Dilandau, where have you been?" I cut straight to the point and watch as a grin appears on the devil's face.

"What would it matter to you, Folken? Surely whatever you told me of the treaty last night couldn't have been so important."

"That would be where you're wrong, Dilandau. This treaty is important and you must abide by it! We can't afford to have you go around, destroying town after town; we're supposed to be working inconspicuously. If you destroy every village, town and city we won't be able to act properly. People will rally against us and we'll be in a completely one-sided war before you can finish your glass of wine. We must play our cards correctly; one mess up can lead to the loss of far more than we can replace."

"Relax, Folken, I wasn't destroying anything. If anything, I was creating something. A small something that may help us in the long run…if not…well we have other methods to fall back on," Dilandau replies casually, already halfway through his wine glass.

I haven't touched my wine yet, and I probably won't until he leaves. Very rarely do I drink more than one glass a day, but today may be an exception. And he still hasn't answered the original question.

"You're side-stepping the question, Dilandau. Where were you?"

I watch as a strange grin comes to his face. He had said he was creating something, a small something, but what could that something be? Surely he couldn't have come up with a plan to break down the country from the inside out…that's far too clever for him.

For some reason the thought of that young girl comes to mind again. I don't know her name, nor do I know what she looks like; but the idea of the girl from the mystic moon brings me to wonder if he had been…

Oh no…

Absolutely not.

"Dilandau, please tell me you didn't…"

"Nothing like _that, _Folken, I can assure you of that much," he states before I can finish my question and I sigh faintly.

"Well? Are you going to tell me what you were doing?" I ask and he chuckles faintly, finishes the rest of his wine and stands. He takes the familiar stance with a hand on his hip while the other hangs limply from his body.

"I was enjoying the scenery."

And then he's gone. The door slides shut again and I'm left staring at the door, mouth slightly agape.

Quickly, I grab the glass of wine and down it quickly. It won't help my headache at all, but right now…that headache is nothing compared to the shock that just filled my mind.

He had been enjoying the scenery.

Gods in the heavens, please, give me the strength I need to continue living.

-

A/N: Well, there we go. Not as long as I hoped it would be, but hopefully it's good enough. Up next…

Allen.

Thanks to those who reviewed!

Also, thanks to the other 200 hundred something people that read. If you don't like it...oops. Oh well. I appreciate my reviewers so much! You get holiday cookies! Whee!

-Disappears to watch more Christmas-y movies.-


	7. What was I thinking?

A/N: So…well…because of my newest obsession with FFVII: AC, I have been forced to finish this one early. Plus, I know all of you want to get to that very last chapter, and seeing as Allen and the last 'Slayer are rather superfluous, I've decided to end it now.

I hope you all enjoy this. If not...I'm sorry. I hope this lives up to your expectations.

* * *

This can't be…

Hitomi sighed for what seemed like the billionth time that night. She stared at the night sky, as she usually did when she was alone, and wondered about the **wrong **person.

Why couldn't she get that silver haired devil out of her head! Hours a day her mind was locked on that crazy general and she knew Van was beginning to ponder about her again. Sometimes he never let her leave his sight, nearly all the time he tried to ask her what was wrong, and every damn time she told him the same thing; Nothing.

Slowly, she stood, leaving the beautiful night sky behind, and paced her room. She wanted to go for a run, but would it be safe? After the episode with the geckos she was so certain…but there were extra guards patrolling too.

"A little run is just what I need. I can clear my mind, come back and finally get some rest. Tomorrow I'll go to the bazaar and everything will be ok," she laughed and changed into her running gear.

She hurried down the hall; a smile plastered on her face, and made her way to the closest exit that didn't involve running into Van or Allen. Or even Millerna.

That woman was really annoying her.

Stepping out into the courtyard she stretched out, reaching up to the sky and smiling at Earth. She was ready to get him out of her mind. He was the enemy; he was responsible for the destruction of Van's country, of Allen's fort and God knows what else. He was also a dangerous psycho that burned everything down in his path, not caring about who he hurt in the process.

He was also incredibly handsome, sly and the aura of danger that shone like freshly split blood gave her the shivers. The _good _shivers. The kind of shivers that made good little girls want the bad guys.

"Get yourself together Hitomi!" She chastised herself, even going so far as to smack herself. "He's evil. Van is good, he is evil. He is bad, very, very bad…very…"

"Are you finished talking to yourself?"

Hitomi's blood ran cold, and she turned around to find the object of her day dreams staring at her like some rare piece of meat. She swallowed faintly, instantly stepping back and bringing her arms up in a protective fashion.

"Awwww, what's wrong, Little Hitomi? Do I scare you?" He cooed, stepping closer and grinning darkly.

Hitomi tried her best to scowl at him, to stop her shaking legs, but it wasn't working at all. "No, I'm not afraid of you!" She protested, but clutched her arms against her chest tighter.

In response, Dilandau laughed quietly, but it was even more terrifying than his insane cackle.

"You're a horrible liar. Your mouth says "no", but your body movements say "yes". I can see right through you…by bringing your arms up in front of your body, you're trying to put a wall between us…to distance yourself from me…of course; it's your natural defense system. You want me gone…rather amusing, seeing as I seem to be the object of all your thoughts lately. Did you like that parting gift?"

Hitomi shook visibly and stepped back again, unsure of whether or not to scream for help.

And that was when she decided something was very, _very _wrong with her. She was getting a _thrill _from this encounter! When did she get so…so…_weird _to like the danger of her current situation?

He was armed, she wasn't. She could run, and definitely scream, but a little voice in the back of her head was telling her "no". That voice had to go…

After…after she had her fill of danger…

Deciding to blame this on Van, seeing as it was mostly his fault for her being here, and the fact that left and right she was always in danger. That was the reason. A perfectly normal explanation for what was wrong for her.

'Oh, for the love of god…there's no point in lying…' she thought to herself, biting her lip faintly and swallowing.

"How cute…I really had a wonderful affect on you didn't I?" He grinned, his eyes narrowing in that insane way and making her shake even more. "I won't hurt you…much…maybe to help get rid of that surge of want that seems to have consumed you?" He purred and slowly unsheathed the gleaming blade strapped to his side. "Some pain would teach you otherwise, now wouldn't it?" He muttered, his eyes instantly burning with the promise of pain.

'Oh…oh, my god…he's going to attack me…' she whimpered faintly, true fear striking through her like lightning. She could outrun him no problem; she was a track star for the love of god and he was weighed down by heavy armor.

Without thinking of anything else she ran for it, sprinting through the shrubbery and panicking faintly when she discovered the unconscious forms of the guards along the way. His heavy footsteps followed her, his sword had been sheathed with a laugh, and he seemed to be keeping on her heels easily. If he ever rid himself of his sword and jacket she'd be in trouble.

Quickly, she vaulted over a stone bench and didn't even realize she was making the mistake of running _away _from the castle! Tree branches caught at her shirt, scratched her face faintly, gouged at her arms and legs and then something worse happened.

She felt the digging of his fingers in her back, the pull of her shirt as she continued with her step, and then the solid pull that sent her flying backwards. She yelped and cried out loudly, sending birds flying through the air in a flurry of feathers and squawks. His glove closed tightly over her mouth and a fierce growl resounded from his throat right in her ear.

"Should've looked where you were going," he purred and Hitomi whimpered, or tried to, through his hand. "Not scared enough…yet…" he chuckled and slammed her against a tree, one arm over her windpipe, one covering her mouth, and his strength holding her there.

It was easy to see the shining fear in her green eyes with the moonlight and her grinned again. His face was hidden by shadow, barely illuminated by the light shining from the female's face.

"You have been distracting me long enough," he continued, pushing against her throat a little more and smirking when she struggled faintly. "This is going to be quite simple, Hi-to-mi…you're mine, or you die, or somehow your little humble prince comes to save you. I doubt you told anyone you'd be out here, and there's no way I'm letting you go unless Van or Pretty Boy come to save you."

Hitomi stared at him wide eyed and open mouthed. She couldn't believe what he was saying! He was basically saying that in order to remain alive she had to go with him…

"What do you think, Hitomi?" He cooed.

Hitomi struggled faintly, pulling at his arm and coughing faintly. "No…" she managed just barely, before gagging faintly when he pressed against her windpipe harder.

"Come now, Hitomi, I doubt you want to die here…it's an easy way to live, and I assure you I'll make it worth the time…"

She couldn't utter a word, so she shook her head faintly, wincing when the rough bark of the tree scraped the back of her neck and tore at her hair faintly.

"You're not scared enough…" he muttered and pulled a knife from his boot. "I still owe you for damaging my beautiful face…and because of you Miguel is dead."

A flash of hurt fleeted through her eyes and she quickly shut them, trying to forget it all, and keep the tears from starting. Her eyes flashed open when the cold steel of his knife pressed against the skin of her cheek, promising that if she moved even in the slightest, or if he pressed a little bit harder, her skin would give way to the sharp blade and spill her blood.

"Still not enough," he muttered, pressing the tip into her skin and making her wince in pain. Hitomi opened her eyes just enough to see that flash of insanity before horrible pain seared across her face.

A strangled cry escaped her lips and tears flowed freely from her eyes as the new wound on her cheek throbbed painfully. She felt the warmth of her blood trail down her cheek and over her neck and bit back a faint sob when he leaned in, licking the crimson fluid from the wound and right down to her neck.

"Eye for an eye…" he muttered and bit at her skin, making her jump faintly. His tongue trailed back up to the wound and she jumped when the blade impaled the wood right next to her face. Forcing her eyes open she stared at her terrified expression in the smooth metal.

"So much better," he chuckled, turning her face back to him roughly. "You will be mine," he continued, licking blood from his lips, "you'll be mine forever and even if you escape I _will _catch you and make you wish you had never gotten that fleeting rush of pleasure from terror. If that's the way it works you should be enjoying this wonderfully."

"N-no!" She managed and whimpered very quietly when he applied more pressure to shut her up.

"How does it feel, Hitomi? Does it sting and burn? Is it aching horribly? So horribly that it's throbbing behind your eyes and by your ear? So even the slightest movement send you into sharp pains!" He yelled, voice growing uneven with insanity.

"P-please…" she mouthed and he grinned darkly. Before she could take a breath hi arm was gone, a gloved hand was pressed hard against her injured cheek and his lips crushed against hers.

Shame that that one kiss dulled half the pain she was in. Her eyes widened, not just from the suddenness of the kiss, but by her unwanted reaction. This didn't last long, however, for a moment later a finger dug into the bloody wound, causing her to cry out in agony, the sound swallowed by his mouth. His tongue wrapped around hers, trailed over every bit of her mouth that he wanted, drew her tongue into his own mouth and bit down.

Another cry of pain escaped her bruising throat, not fully blocked by his mouth, and tears flowed with a renewed passion.

"Hitomi! Hitomi, where are you?"

Dilandau's head snapped to the side, his eyes flashing dangerously when Van's voice echoed through the forest. His eyes trailed back to Hitomi, pupils narrowing to pinpricks, and he ripped the dagger from the tree, making her gasp. With a swift movement he ripped her from the tree and slammed the butt of the dagger into the back of her head, catching her limp body when she fell unconscious. Quickly, he lifted her body, carried her to his Alseides and dropped her in the cockpit.

He turned just in time to see his most hated enemy burst through the underbrush, sword drawn and eyes wide. Dilandau laughed faintly, unsheathing his sword in an elegant move and jumping from his Alseides. He landed with a cat-like grace and grinned at Van.

"Figures you'd come and ruin my fun, Van," he drawled, stepping closer to the obviously worried and weakened so called king. "How pathetic…getting so worked up over a little girl. Especially when she's Allen's little pet."

"Let her go, Dilandau!" Van replied and rushed at him without another thought. He had to save Hitomi from this monster…he had to…

The clash of blades echoed louder than anything in the forest, sending all creatures into silence. The danger was lucid; to interfere would be to die.

"Van! Your emotions are getting the best of you! How weak!" Dilandau yelled, knowing Van would get riled up and continuously make mistakes until he, Dilandau, would be able to kill him.

Another clash of blades, then another and another. Growls and pants sounded loudly in the clearing, just as loud as the clanging of weaponry.

One began to worry more, knowing damn well that he couldn't match Dilandau right now. The other laughing in sick humor, enjoying playing with his little toy and wanting to draw it out nice and long, make his opponent suffer the most emotional pain that he could.

"Van; you make me sick," Dilandau growled and slammed his blade against Van's sending the weapon flying from the raven haired teen's grasp. With a solid sound the blade was impaled into the previously abused tree and a shout of pain followed with it, making a sound that made the sadistic general's eyes glimmer in victory.

With a kick to the gut Dilandau sent the injured king sprawling. A decent sized slash bled from his chest and he tried to stop the flow.

"I won't kill you yet…you're not in your best form…it's not as wonderful when you're so weak…I will take immense pleasure from beating you at your best. But, until then, you better start crawling back to the castle; else you'll bleed to death."

"Heh…" Van muttered faintly, wincing in pain and holding his crimson shirt to his wound. "Running away then? Give Hitomi back, you coward," he muttered and stood. Just in time to be picked up by the recently arrived Allen Schezar.

Dilandau sneered at the new addition to the party and leapt onto the Alseides. His eyes landed on Hitomi's unmoving form and he grinned darkly, pressing himself against her and closing the cockpit door.

"I've got what I want," Dilandau laughed and activated flight mode. He took off before Allen would even unsheathe the blade of his melef. "We'll have more beautiful encounters later…but until then…this one is **mine.**"

-End-

* * *

A/N: Well…there. That's what you get. I believe I kept Dilandau in character wonderfully, what do you think? 

This is the happy ending. I'll only post the _other _ending if people actually want me to. This may not be the best work in the world, seeing as I can't really write as well when my mind is distracted by…

Dare I say it?

Two wonderful silver haired men from FFVII: AC. Oh yeah…they are wonderful…

So…this puppy got over 600 hits…

Thank you, everyone, for reading! I hope you enjoyed it…if you didn't…well…oh well.

No cookies for you.

There may or may not be a sequel. Most likely not. Dream up your own future for the two…I may end up posting a sequel later on, after I've rewatched the series...

Again, thanks for reading.

Celebrate with me! This is the first finished multi-chapter fiction I've posted! Yay!


	8. Sneak Peak!

A/N: Wow…over a thousand hits for this work…never thought I'd ever get that many hits. Now, seeing as people want to see more, I have planned a sequel, or at least part of it, and it should be posted before mid-January. Hopefully at least; there's so much crap going on right now that it's insane to try and keep up with three different works, family and friends, plotting to take over the world…ect, ect, ect…

AKA- everything you've heard from writers everywhere.

Also, I figured I would throw in the very opening of the next part, as a sort of teaser…just because I can do that.

This story will be written entirely in past tense, instead of current. I understand that many people didn't like the way I wrote the first 6 chapters of O.N. but you must understand that to get into the heads of the people I'm writing about it had to be done like that. I'm sorry for switching into a past tense for the last chapter, but if I had done it any other way it would've been either split into two parts, or jogging back and forth between Dilandau and Hitomi.

I'll be avoiding that in the sequel, just because I feel like it. Plus, it's a little hectic to continuously switch back and forth between peoples' heads.

So, hopefully without further interruption on my own part, I give you a little teaser!

* * *

Hitomi struggled to sort the thoughts starting to flow through her mind. She couldn't remember much, if really anything, of what had happened to land her with a splitting headache and a painful throbbing on her right cheek. Slowly, as her mind started merging with her body again she realized, with faint horror, that her arms were tied behind her back and she was lying in a rather uncomfortable position on an equally uncomfortable bed.

Tearing her eyes open her heart began to beat faster and her breath came quicker as she began to panic. The ceiling…the walls…the blue flame lamp by her bed…

This was **not **her room at the castle!

Closing her eyes she tried to find the misplaced memories, finally summoning them a few moments later after replaying her day. Things clicked into place and she let out a quiet sob, tears welling up and spilling out of her already swollen eyes.

Van had failed to rescue her.

Her heart dropped into her stomach, and the urge to retch in heartbreak flowed through her. There were so many possibilities as to _why _he hadn't saved her, and she had to take them into account. Dilandau was the devil, he was a sneaky conniving bastard, she knew that for certain, and he probably cheated in his fight!

'What's going to happen to me…?' She thought quietly, swallowing faintly and sniffling loudly.

Outside the metal door she could hear the faint sound of clicking, the sound of boots walking calmly in her direction, getting louder and louder until what little light that was cast into the dark room from the barred square in the door was covered. Whoever was looking in at her wasn't Dilandau, she knew that much, but the second pair of clicking boots had that strange "I-am-better-than-all-of-you-losers" swagger to it and she had a feeling she knew who it was.

The door opened and Hitomi hid her face, trying to get rid of the tears and make sure no one knew she had been crying again. The first person walked in and when she peaked an eye open she realized he was much taller than Dilandau…

And had a strange hair cut, much like the singer/actor David Bowie.

"Dilandau…what have you done?" The voice asked and Hitomi shivered faintly.

"Why, Folken, I'm surprised! I brought the girl from the Mystic Moon; she is no longer a threat to our purpose…"

"Don't lie to me, Dilandau," Folken muttered, casting a glance back to the silhouette in the doorway. "You shouldn't have abused her like this," he continued, walking over to her and leaning down, taking her face in his hand gently. "Why didn't you clean this out properly? It could get infected."

"The bitch would deserve it, after the pain she put me through," Dilandau hissed and Hitomi winced faintly; the strange tone in his voice scared her.

Folken merely sighed and leaned over her, undoing the rope around her arms and helping her to sit up so he could see the full extent of the damage done to the young female before him.

"You can't keep her, Dilandau," he finally said and Hitomi suddenly felt a great amount of tension in the air.

Dilandau was _not _happy.

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A/N: So, there you have it. A small teaser, just for you. The first chapter should be up and running by mid-January, like I said before.

The reason why it's going to take so long to get that one chapter up?

Because I'm obsessed with FFVII: AC, right now, and have every intention of putting up a humor fic involving our favorite silver haired men…

And a poptart.

For those of you who like FFVII: AC, then I hope you'll read the humor fic once it's posted, which should be sometime by the end of this week…or next week…depending.


End file.
